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Chapter 9 - Lost (TCOK)
The sun had barely broken over the horizon, setting the sea bordering Gusty Gulch’s eastern side alight with sparkles when Tubba set out toward Gonzales’ house. There were few more satisfactory things than wandering the town in the morning. Very few citizens roamed the streets, and seeing the sun break over the sea, turning it golden was one of the most cathartic sights in the world. Tubba had knocked on Gonzales’ door, to be met by the sight of his unruly father at the door, in a cranky mood because of the early morning disturbance. Clubbas enjoyed their sleep, and Gonzales’ father was no different. Fortunately, Gonzales’ father had no qualms about letting his son join his best friend out in the early hours of the morning. While the Toads and Koopas would likely have problems with it, Clubbas were much more lax with their rules than the other species - two Clubbas, even two underage Clubbas, would be a force to be reckoned with against most other species. Gonzales had been a bit cantankerous for the same reason as his father, but once Tubba explained where they were headed, because of the declaration of war on the Zaz Kingdom, he immediately brightened up at being entrusted with such an important task and shoved off the cobwebs of sleep. The two of them were striding down Gusty Gulch - in the direction of Bubba’s house in southern Gusty Gulch, and Forever Forest - when Tubba decided it was apt to break the news of his birthright to Gonzales. “Excuse me? Are you trying to trick me, Tubba?” Gonzales’ initial reaction was one of disbelief, but the disquiet ceased to exist once Tubba flashed the coin that signalled his position as Crown Prince to Gonzales. Tossing it over to his friend, the dark blue Clubba ran it over in his palm, examining the coin’s every aspect. “Wow. Wow.” Tapping it, as if to detect deficiencies, or somehow identifying it as fake, he tossed it back to Tubba. Gonzales shook his head in disbelief, as if he couldn’t quite realize that his friend was the heir to the throne. “Wow.” Giving the coin back to Tubba, he managed to choke out: “All these years, you didn’t tell me that you were the second-most powerful Clubba in the world?” His typically soft and light voice had a grating edge to it, almost a bitter edge to it. “My father made me promise I wouldn’t,” Tubba shrugged, putting the coin away back into his shell. “Hasn’t it ever crossed your mind that I’m named Tubba, and your monarch is also named Tubba?” He had expected someone to at least take a guess - and indeed, some had, but Tubba had easily argued that he was named after the King - not an explicit lie. Shrugging, Gonzales lapsed into a silence, and Tubba knew he was mulling over what he had just learned. Unfortunately, Tubba had to break the news about the second prong of their task. “We also have to get Bubba to head to the Castle. My father wants to recruit him.” “Bubba?” Asked Gonzales, his tone conveying his disbelief that Tubba would agree to allow Bubba to have a more significant role in the war than he did. “Bubba.” Tubba confirmed, halting Gonzales’ protestations with a raised red hand. “I argued with my father, Gonzales. He put it down to my grudge against Bubba, which, I suppose is fair.” Tubba knew that Gonzales held a similar grudge against Bubba, if not as vitriolic. Bubba’s house was in southern Gusty Gulch, where the high ranking families had built their houses over the millennia the Clubbas had made Gusty Gulch their home. Tubba and Gonzales were closing in on Bubba’s house - the Clubbiths were a famous family, so the location of their home was well known - when an emerald green Clubba stood in their way. Snubba Clamper was one of Gonzales’ and Tubba’s classmates, but he was far from their age. Having failed the highest grade of Clubban education thrice - a rare feat - he was sixteen years old, and closing in on seventeen. He had become a fast friend of Bubba’s, becoming as synonymous with the large orange Clubba as anyone, except perhaps Laff. “Where’re you shrimps off to?” His gruff, adult voice asked the two smaller Clubbas. His large, muscular body was in striking contrast to the smaller, leaner, younger Clubbas, and his hair was a stunning shade of white. A fully developed Clubba. He loomed over Tubba and Gonzales, his club and legs firmly planted in the sands as to prevent them access to onward. “And I don’t believe I have to tell you, Snubba.” Tubba attempted to push past the emerald green Clubba, but he held his ground, preventing the smaller Tubba from getting past him. “Oh, I believe you do.” Snubba smiled, but it looked more like a leer to Tubba. “Bubba doesn’t like scrawny fries on his turf. Shove off.” Snubba pointed Tubba back in the direction of the Castle, but Tubba was sick and tired of being pushed around. “Look, Snubba, if you’re such a great friend of Bubba, just tell him he’s wanted at the Castle.” Tubba snarled at Snubba, before walking around him, gesturing for Gonzales to follow him. Snubba made no move to obstruct his path, this time. Crunching the sand beneath his feet as he strode southwards toward Forever Forest - that would be their next destination - Snubba had one more thing to say. “How could one family produce one of the great Clubbas in the school, in Chubba, and then you?” Resisting the urge to turn around and snarl at Snubba that he would be King, and not only would Snubba be subservient to him, so would Chubba, he continued walking down the sands toward the Forest. Goomba Village was just outside Toad Town, the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom. Toad Town and Forever Forest were also quite close to each other, but as the name suggests, Forever Forest was one of the largest forests on the Mushroom Mainland, and consequently, walking through the Forest could take days, if not weeks. In the past six years, however, the Mushrooms had built a train to Forever Forest at the consent of the Clubbas - it was their territory, after all - which shortened the time to just a two hour train ride. With tensions between the Mushrooms and Clubbas at an all-time low since Bowser’s escapade with the Star Rod and recruitment of Tubba’s father, Clubbas were more than welcome in the Mushroom Kingdom, although they usually strayed away from the large urban settings. The train ride was one of the briefest Tubba had ever sat on, despite lasting two hours, for he and Gonzales had barely begun to talk about subjects other than Gonzales’ discovery of Tubba’s birthright, when the train reached Toad Town. Snubba’s final words had echoed in his ears: everyone felt that Chubba was better, and much more capable than Tubba - Tubba was desperately trying to fight off that perception, but was it time to believe it? Toad Town was a very happy place, with Toads frolicking around on a regular basis. A small town, yet the hub of all travel in the Mushroom Kingdom, it housed the Mushroom Castle. The town was special in that a canal had been specifically designed to make the city a port city, despite it’s very inland location, a few hours from the coast. However, Tubba was not concerned with anything in the main plaza or the docks of Toad Town, and instead exited through the rather inconspicuous west exit, en route to Goomba Village. Goomba Village was just outside Toad Town, and it was such a tiny village, that for many of the citizens of Toad Town, it simply didn’t exist - it was irrelevant. The population of Goomba Village consisted of just one Goomba family, and a sole Toad that ran an inn, a very poor business practice. The Goombas were quite friendly to the Toads and Princess Peach, even assisting a critically-injured Mario in his race for the Star Rod back in 2000. Despite their apparent differences, the Clubbas had got along well with the Goombas in Goomba Village for years before the Star Rod debacle, and so, Tubba was quite confident that their personal safety was not at risk in Goomba Village, yet; even if it was, how much damage could Goombas do? They were hardly powerhouses of the Mushroom World when it came to physical strength. The brief transit between Toad Town and Goomba Village was merely the two young Clubbas walking along a dirt, rarely used path with occasional dips, the small Goombas transiting their path that had a bone to pick quickly reconsidered their decisions, fleeing from the two Clubbas. When they entered Goomba Village through the gate, they were met by the typical hospitality of Goompa and Gooma, the elderly grandparents of Goomba Village, who were standing outside the modest wooden house. Beckoning the two young Clubbas into the house for a spot of tea, the two grandparents asked the heavy question - the reason for two young Clubbas to be on their doorstep. “Well,” Tubba began, sitting down at the table in the small house, after introducing himself and Gonzales, and proceeding to small talk for at least twenty minutes. The house was tiny, with only one more door, to the veranda outside, and just a few chairs around the main living area. A curtain separated the living area from the bedrooms. Goompa settled himself across the table from the two Clubbas, while Gooma assured her husband that she would get their daughter - Goomama - her husband - Goompapa - and their children, Goombario and Goombaria, to greet the visitors. “I have a few questions about Uarn, the Iglator who showed up in Goomba Village a few decades ago.” Goompa leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, clearly wracking his brains for the correct answer. “Oo-Yarn? I remember him.” Goompa opened his eyes, his eyes alert. “It was a cloudy, blustery day, when young Princess Peach showed up on our doorstep - Goombario was a mere child at the time, and Goombaria wasn’t even born. She told my son-in-law that they had rescued an Iglator from drowning, off the coast of Sarasaland, and because of his immense knowledge of the Zaz Kingdom, wanted to keep him away from prying Zaz eyes, who might wish him harm because of the information he would concede, but also close to the Mushroom capital - Toad Town. As such, our humble little village was the best place.” “Of course, we took the poor Iglator in, Oo-yarn was a softie - a Zaz Kingdom fugitive, sure, but he was very polite to myself and our family,” Goompa explained, “and was a massive help around the place. In the next five or six years, he became not only a part of our family, but also a boost to the espionage services of the Mushroom Kingdom.” Goompa’s tone darkened. “Unfortunately, the Zaz Kingdom caught up to him, and he was nearly killed by two undercover spies in 1996, while spending his years with us angry that the Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom did not trust him. Refusing to stay with us after that, he said he could not belong in a world where he was the outsider, where everyone was out to pick at his flaws - it was true, he wasn’t welcomed with open arms by everyone in Toad Town. Many saw him as unable to hold any allegiance. This hatred had it’s toll on Oo-yarn, who decided to set out from an unforgiving world, where he was expected to be as normal and conformist as the Toads.” Tubba’s mind was racing as he listened to the wise old Goomba. Unforgiving world which expected him to be something else... to measure up to something, to be compared... Uarn sounded like him. “Do you know where he went?” Tubba asked hastily, his heart pounding in excitement. “No.” Goompa responded, casting his eyes down. “Uarn left us without a trace.” Tubba’s heart sank. Just when he thought there was an outlet to a different world, a world in which someone else had the same feelings he did, it was snatched away from him. “I must ask, young Tubba,” Goompa began, his tone a little hesitant. “What is the reason for you asking this?” Before Tubba could answer, the door to the house was opened, with an adolescent Goomba framed in the doorway, the sun dazzling behind him. He wore a blue hat, and two teeth poked out from his lip. Goombario. His name had gone down in legend in the Mushroom Kingdom, and Tubba regrettably knew him too. At the age of just sixteen years old, Goombario joined Mario in his quest for the Star Rod, consequently being part of the party that handed Tubba’s father’s shell to him. Since then, Goombario had returned to Goomba Village, although, now twenty-one, he did not hesitate to cash in his newfound fame, by writing autobiographies and memoirs of his experience. Behind him, Gooma followed, informing her husband that Goombario was the only one who was here to greet the visitors. Tubba saw no reason to hold everything back from Goompa, and immediately conceded his birthright to the Goombas, who lurched with surprise. “Oh!” Gooma gasped, “had I known, I would’ve prepared something...” Raising a hand to turn down the gesture, Tubba declined. “Thanks, but we’re just here for the information.” Glancing at the clock, Tubba realized that they had been in Goomba Village for nearly an hour, and subsequently, away from Gusty Gulch for nearly four hours, thanks to the two hour train commute. “We should really get going.” Getting up from the table, Tubba thanked the elderly Goomba grandparents again, before gesturing Gonzales to follow him. “Something doesn’t add up,” Goombario thought aloud, pursing his lips. “How are you guys here, when you should be in your Kingdom, coping with the tragedy, and preparing for the future?” The Goomba strode over to Tubba, his eyes challenging. “What tragedy?” Tubba questioned, fear striking through him. What tragedy? Surely, nothing could have happened to Gusty Gulch. His father and brother would be safe, but where was he in the time of need? Goombario looked at Tubba questioningly. “The news broke an hour ago that...” Tubba’s world broke with the next few words. * He and Gonzales had raced out of Goomba Village, running through Toad Town, angrily remonstrating in the train station, hoping to get to Gusty Gulch at the nearest opportunity. Tubba was inconsolable, hoping, praying to Cloansar, that this was merely just a prank by Goombario. The next train ride was the longest of his life, even though it was just two hours. As he tore up the sands of Gusty Gulch after it arrived in Forever Forest, Gonzales hot on his heels, he entered the morgue with a heavy heart, hearing the sounds of wailing and grief. Blue scales lay all around the now scaleless body lying face-down on the floor, Chubba standing next to it, his eyes welling up with rare tears. Clubbar stood staring straight ahead, his eyes dull and full of sorrow. Tubba bent down next to the body, letting the tears flow. Tubba would later learn that they were preparing the weapons for war, when, through improper transport of the ancient Bullet Bills, one had accidentally fired, and impaled him, mortally wounding him. The Clubba at fault? A large, orange Clubba who should not have been there, known as “Buffa,” to his closest friends. Gusty Gulch’s King was dead. Tubba’s father was dead. Tubba would never rest, not until the blood of his enemy was on his hands. For his father.